Bluprint Cine Transfers - Transfer of Cine Film to digital format DVD, Mini DV and Personal Hard Drive

Any Questions?

We have complied the following questions and answers from our customers feedback and enquires about our services. If you have any other queries contact us on the free-phone number above.

What is included in your charges?
What happens once you receive my films?
How can I tell how much cine footage I have?
How secure will my films be?
Can I deliver and collect in person?
What is the best format to archive my footage?
What about films with a soundtrack?
Can I have background music added to my silent films?
After the transfer are my films returned to me?
Can I have my films transferred in a particular order?
I'm still not sure about the order my films should be transferred in, and I'm not sure if I want everything on my reels transferred, are any further services available?
What is the EDIT MANAGER service?
What is the TIME MANAGER service?
Can my cine films only be transferred to DVD?
I would like my films transferred for a special occasion and want them delivered by a certain date. Is this possible?
What picture quality should I expect to get from my films?
How much film can be stored on a DVD and Mini DV digital tape?
Once I get my films transferred to tape or disk I would like to edit them on my computer, what would you recommend?
The number of different DVD disk types confuses me can you help?
Do you have more information about sending and receiving films by courier or post?

What is included in your charges?

ALL FILMS ARE CLEANED PRIOR TO TRANSFER
FILMS ARE REPAIRED WHEN REQUIRED PRIOR TO TRANSFER
ANY BLANK OR CLEAR SECTIONS OF FILM ARE REMOVED PRIOR TO TRANSFER
FILMS ARE WOUND CORRECTLY, READY FOR TRANSFER
NO ADDITIONAL TRANSFER CHARGE FOR FILMS THAT HAVE AN ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK
GOLD ARCHIVAL DVD or MINI DV TAPE STOCK INCLUDED
DISKS SUPPLIED IN LIBRARY CASES AND PRINTED INSERTS
SECURE RETURN DELIVERY WITHIN THE U.K BY SPECIAL DELIVERY OR COURIER

What happens once you receive my films?

If you are sending your films to us by courier or post we will confirm receipt of your films by telephone or email. We then examine your films and check the amount of footage with your order details. Sometimes a large reel is not always full and so we would adjust the cost to you accordingly and contact you with a revised quotation.

If your order has been sent in for us to give you a quotation we will contact you by phone or email before the transfer commences so you know exactly how much it will cost.

Cheques can be included with your cine films or you can pay by using PayPal. If you are collecting you can of course pay by cash.

We then examine your films on a film rewind bench. We do this to remake any existing splices that have come undone and remove any sections that you may not want, for example any totally black or clear sections. Films supplied backwards on the reel will be correctly wound ready for transfer and we will splice new film leaders onto the front of your films if required.

Film projection attracts dust and creates scratches that will show on the film as black spots and vertical black or coloured lines. Our liquid cleaning process eliminates most of the surface dust and also reduces the thickness of some black scratches by cleaning out the dirt within the scratch. The result is a clearer and cleaner film picture. If your films are particularly dusty we will run your films through the cleaning system two or three times.

Depending on what service you require, your films will be transferred in one of two ways: directly via digital 'firewire' cable to DVD or Mini DV or via digital 'firewire' cable to computer for editing. In all of our services your films are electronically enhanced to improve the picture quality, see an example of this on our transfer choices page.

Once we have transferred your films they are placed back on their original reels and we include Silica gel sachets to keep moisture out. We recommend that when you receive your films you stack them vertically in a room at constant room temperature.

We always transfer your films to Gold Archive DVDs. These contain a harder coating then standard disks on the recording side to protect from scratches and rough handling.
The Gold layer also maximises the life of the disk by protecting the data from corrosion.

Even though you will have a high quality Gold layer archival DVD or digital tape, our advice is to always keep your films safe and NEVER throw them away.

As a further security measure for orders that are sent back by post or courier, we produce amd store a DVD copy of your films at our premises for six months. This also means that if you require another copy in the future, you do not need to send your films back to us.

Once the transfer is complete and your payment has cleared we will advise you by phone or email. If you are not collecting your films in person, they will be sent back to you via Special Delivery or courier.

How can I tell how much cine footage I have?

On the side of most film reels there is a footage and/or metre gauge. The smallest 8mm reels are about 3 inches in diameter and contain 50ft of film, a 5-inch reel has 200ft and a 7-inch reel has 400ft; you may have a 10-inch diameter reel these contain up to 600ft. Your 16mm film may be on a 12-inch reel, which has up to 800ft or a 20-inch reel, which has up to 1200ft. Please bear in mind that sometimes a reel may not be completely full and you should always take the reel out if its box to double check this.

How secure will my films be?

Your films are held in our secure premises and remain here with us throughout the transfer process. We have always operated in this way and we NEVER sub-contract orders to other companies. In addition our premises are secured by the 'Red CARE' alarm system supplied by BT. Red CARE is a police approved alarm 24 hour, 365 day monitoring system.

Can I deliver and collect in person?

Yes of course, we are located within a mile to the M1 and 2 miles to the M25 motorways. We also have excellent bus and rail links to the whole of the U.K.

If you are travelling by rail, the nearest station to us is Bushey mainline station about three minutes away with services between London Euston and the UK. Just give us a call and let us know when you want to come over.

What is the best format to archive or edit my footage at home?

We are one of the few transfer companies in the UK that use Gold Archival disks to transfer your film onto. They are durable disks and are ideal for long term archiving of your cine films as each disc is manufactured using a unique dual reflective layer to maximize both compatibility and longevity. Gold Archive DVD's contain a harder coating then standard disks that protect discs from scratches, therefore extending the lifetime of your media.

If you require a copy of your transfer for editing purposes then we recommend that you order a copy of your films on miniDV tape. The DV format is small in size, durable and if you have editing software and a DV camcorder, you can import it into your computer to edit..

Another way to import and edit your films via computer is to have your films transferred onto a portable hard drive or flash memory drive as AVI or Quicktime files. You can choose these services on our price calculator or order form.

What about films with a soundtrack?

A small percentage of cine film produced had a recordable soundtrack. Some cameras could accept a microphone to record live sound and some films had sound dubbed on afterwards. Standard 8 films are almost always silent, although some do have sound. There is no extra charge to transfer films that have a soundtrack but we do recommend that you let us know if you have sound films or a mixture of sound and silent films on your order form.

Can I have background music added to my silent films?

Yes - for films without a soundtrack we can provide easy listening background music, which is ideal for silent films. We use a mixture of light classical and contemporary music that tends to complement silent cine films. You can choose this service on our price calculator by ticking the revelent box or on the order form.

After the transfer are my films returned to me?

Yes they are returned having been cleaned and any any bad splices are remade. Films that were sent to us without cases/boxes are packaged in sealed plastic bags with silica gel sachets. Even though you will have a high quality DVD, digital tape or computer file copy, our advice is to always keep your films safe and NEVER throw them away as these are your original materials.

Can I have my films transferred in a particular order?

We will transfer them in any order you require, simply number them in the sequence that you want. If you haven't been able to watch the films for some time and you are not sure of the age or correct sequence for example, oldest first, there are a number of things you can do.

If you have a mixture of standard and super 8mm films, the standard 8mm will be older and should appear first. Also look at the packaging for the postal date stamp, very common with 50ft reels. In our experience if you have a mixture of large and small reels, the larger reels are usually (but not always!) older than the smaller 50ft reels.

I'm still not sure about the order my films should be transferred in, and I'm not sure if I want everything on my reels transferred, are any further services available?

Yes, with our TIME MANAGER service you have the option of a preview DVD copy. Sometimes film reels may not be labelled with places and dates and it can be hard for you to decide the running order and chapter titles for your DVD. We provide our TIME MANAGER service so that you can put your film reels into the correct order on your final DVD.

When you play the preview DVD you will see a caption with the reel number so you can see where the reels change. We will send you a simple form for you to tell us the new running order for your films.

If you also want some scenes edited out of the final DVD, our EDIT MANAGER service will give you this option as well as rearranging the running order of your reels and adding titles on screen between each cine reel. You can choose this service on our price calculator or order form.

What is the EDIT MANAGER service?

Sometimes film reel boxes are not labelled with places and dates and it can be hard for you to decide the running order and chapter titles for your DVD. You may also want some scenes removed completely and captions added.

The 'EDIT MANAGER' service will help. All you need to do is send your unmarked films to us and we will send you back a draft DVD containing all your reels

On the draft DVD a numbered caption will appear between each new reel showing where the reels change. We also add a VISUAL TIMER in the picture so you can easily tell us which sections you would like removed or even moved to a different part of the programme. This service also includes the addition of captions at the beginning of each reel change should you require.

If you would like to include music on your final DVD just tick the ‘add background music’ box on the calculator before sending your films.

If you do not want to remove sections of your films or add captions but would just like to change the running order see our TIME MANAGER SERVICE

What is the TIME MANAGER service?

Sometimes film reel boxes are not be labelled with places and dates and it can be hard for you to decide the running order for your DVD.

The 'TIME MANAGER' service will help. All you need to do is send your unmarked films to us and we will send you back a draft DVD containing all your reels.

On the draft DVD a numbered caption will appear between each new reel showing where the reels change. A simple form comes with the DVD for you to tell us the new running order for your films. From your information we will edit the reels into your preferred order and send you the final DVD.

If you would like to include music on your final DVD just tick the ‘add background music’ box on the calculator before sending your films.

If you want to rearrange the order of your films, PLUS remove any unwanted sections of your films and add captions then see our EDIT MANAGER SERVICE.

Can you transfer cine film to broadcast formats for television?

If you are a production company we can transfer to most broadcast formats such as DigiBeta, Betacam SP, DVcam, DV & HDV and we would be happy to give you an individual quotation. Our services also include an option to transfer a BITC version to mini DV and computer files on portable hard drives or Flash Memory drives. More information can be found on www.bluprint.co.uk or call John on 01923 239298.

I would like my films transferred for a special occasion and want them delivered by a certain date. Is this possible?

We usually turn around orders within 7 to 10 working days but our delivery times are extended during between November and January, but if you would like us to confirm delivery to you by a particular date just let us know before you send in your order. We will always 'pull out all the stops' whenever possible and your DVD library case can be printed with a special message as part of the service. Don't worry If your film transfer is a surprise gift, we never put our details on the outside of parcels, just your name and return address.

What picture quality should I expect to get from my films?

This depends on a number of factors. The first is during film preparation; our process starts with cleaning both sides of the film surface to remove as much dust, hair and dirt as we can, which build up over years of storage and projection. Film cleaning will provide a clearer and cleaner image after removing distracting hair or dirt spots on your film.

If films are too dark, light or have a colour bias then we can improve on the original quality to some degree during the transfer process. Next is the transfer equipment, we use one of the best optical transfer processes available ensuring a flicker free picture. The final factor is the resolution of the disk, tape or computer file format that your films are going to be transferred to.

Regarding disk stability, we only use gold layer archival DVD's*, manufactured with a gold reflective layer and an estimated lifespan of over 100 years. These discs are the most reliable method of storing your precious cine films on disk.

*Gold Archival disks are used on initial cine transfers, e.g orders requiring just one copy. Any additional copies required from the same order are produced on premium quality DVDs.

How much film can be stored on a standard DVD, Bluray or Mini DV digital tape?

It is possible to have six hours on a single sided DVD but to keep the quality as good as the original transfer we recommend no more than approximately one hour and 20 minutes per disk. For our 'standard transfer' option we include one DVD menu containing up to four chapters/navigation buttons. Up to 60 minutes of cine film can be stored on a Mini DV digital tape and approximately 18 minutes of computer file can be stored on a single sided DVD. For larger orders to computer file we would recommend transfer to a portable hard drive or Flash Memory drive for smaller orders that you can purchase from us. If you own a Bluray player, we can store up to 25gb on a single layer recordable Bluray disk.

Once I get my films transferred to tape or disk I would like to edit them on my computer, what would you recommend?

This depends on your computer platform, editing software and what file formats you can import. Most of our customers who own Mini DV camcorders ask for transfers to Mini DV tape (60 minutes of storage per tape) as this allows them to play the tapes from their camcorders while connected into their computer via 'firewire' or 'DV' cable.

Another option we offer that provides higher storage capacity is transfer to portable hard drive. You can purchase a portable hard drive from us and we will transfer your films onto the drive as AVI or QuickTime files. For smaller amounts of film we will use flash memory drives that just plug into your computers USB connection. We then return your original films back with the hard drive or flash memory drive containing the files ready to import onto your home computer. You can choose these services on our price calculator or order form.

Please contact us for more information about the compatability and storage required of your hard drive or flash memory drives before sending your order.

For more technical information we would recommend that you contact your editing software supplier to find out the best option but please do give us a call if you think we can help in any way.

The number of different DVD disk types confuses me can you help?

The recordable DVD disks that we produce are called DVD-R or DVD+R recordable once only disks. They will play in the U.K and other countries that use the same TV system as the UK and are region free. If you are not sure which disk you need please let us know when you place your order and we will send you some free test disks to try before we transfer your films. If you have the right equipment you will be able to copy the DVD's we produce, as we do not put anti piracy software on your disks. If you need a DVD to play outside of the UK please contact us.

Do you have more information about sending and receiving films by courier or post?

If you are posting your films please make sure you wrap them carefully and mark as fragile.

We recommend that you use the traceable special delivery service from Royal Mail or other postal/courier service that uses a 'Track & Trace' system or recorded /Special Delivery service.

Because of the age and difficulty in putting a value on the uniqueness of your films, any insurance you take out when posting will be limited to the film stock value and not the value of the images they contain in the event of a lost parcel.

We use Royal Mail Special Delivery or our secure courier service within the UK. We are also happy for you to send your own courier or arrange to deliver and collect in person. As a further safety measure we also keep a DVD copy of your transfer for 6 months following the date of dispatch. If you want to deliver and collect in person please give us a call to book a time.

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